FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2006
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
A DOSING ASSEMBLY OF A CAPSULE FILLING APPARATUS;
SCITECH CENTRE, A COMPANY INCORPORATED UNDER SECTION 25 OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 1956, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 7, PRABHAT NAGAR, JOGESHWARI (WEST), MUMBAI - 400 102, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA.
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION DESCRIBES THE INVENTION.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to a capsule-filling machine for filling capsule with powder and particularly to a dosing assembly of capsule filling machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A capsule filling apparatus comprises a rotating turret having dies for holding capsules and a dosing assembly. The empty capsules seat in the dies of the turret in a predetermined way, where caps are separated from the body of the capsules during rotation for filling the plug of the powder and after filling the caps closes the body of the capsules and filled capsules are discharged from the turret.
The dosing assembly of the capsule filling machine comprises a rotating disc having plural sets of holes formed equidistantly, plural sets of tamping pins or plungers operatively arranged to press powder into said plurality holes of the disc and a plurality of the transfer pins for pushing plug of the powder into capsule body.
The dosing assembly is fixed over the turret and the rotating disc is rotatably arranged such that the capsule bodies in the die of the rotating turret come exactly beneath the hole of the dosing disc to receive the plug of the powder. Further, the dosing assembly includes a shroud enclosing a dosing disc, a cover
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having apertures for the tamping pins. Within a region of the transfer pins, a distribution member is provided to strip powder in the region of the dosing disc. A delivery tube is mounted centrally or off-centrally of the dosing disc for delivering the powder to the dosing disc from the powder feeder. The powder supplied on the rotating dosing disc travels towards the holes of the dosing disc due to the centrifugal action.
U. S. Pat. No. 6,901,972 discloses a device and method of operation for filling medicine for small quantity of capsules, in which a fixed quantity of open capsules to be filled are supported in a circular array by a holder plate beneath the periphery of a rotatable distribution drum. In use, a measured supply of filling medication, in dry granular form, is dispensed into the center of the rotating drum where it is distributed evenly by centrifugal force along the periphery of the drum. As the drum stops rotating, the medication flows by gravity into the capsules, which are then inspected, closed and packaged. The above patent describes filling of medication, which have good flow properties and the rotating drum is for one time use only which cannot be used in an automatic capsule filling machine. The above invention is a lab scale model and cannot be used for production models.
However, it is observed that in the conventional machines and also in the device disclosed by '972 patent, the powders having a poor flow ability may not flow uniformly to the holes towards the periphery of the dosing disc and lead to the
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generation of the partially filled capsules or empty capsule and/or weight variations in the dosage of the capsule.
Further, the rotational speed of the dosing is required to be reduced for formulations with incompatible properties. Such formulations are filled as both tablets and powders to overcome incompatibility. However, such reduction in the speed would again result in the reduction in the centrifugal force, which consequently result in the generation of the partially filled or empty capsule, and/or weight variations in the dosage of the capsule and thus resulting into the inaccurate dosing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of dosing assembly according to the present
invention.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the dosing assembly according to the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dosing assembly for a capsule filling apparatus to obviate above problem.
A dosing assembly (100) of a capsule filling apparatus (not shown) according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 and 2.
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The dosing assembly (100) comprises a dosing disc (10) having plurality of holes (12), plurality of tamping pins (not shown) operatively arranged to press powder into said holes (12) of the disc (10) and a set of the transfer pins (not shown) for pushing plugs of the powder into capsule body and a stirrer (20) mounted centrally over the dosing disc (10) such that the dosing disc and stirrer rotates at differential speed in opposite or same direction to one another.
According to the present invention, the distance between the stirrer and dosing disc is maintained less than 2mm and the diameter of the stirrer is less than the inner periphery of the inner holes of the dosing disc.
According to the present invention, the stirrer rotates at higher speed than the speed of the dosing disc for better distribution of the powder evenly. Preferably the speed of the stirrer is three times more than the speed of the dosing disc. Generally, the speed of the dosing disc for the capsule-filling machine is between 8-20 rpm for which the speed of stirrer is between 20-60 rpm and preferable speed of the stirrer is 50rpm.
According to the present invention the stirrer has at least two blades. The stirrer scraps the powder delivered to the dosing disc and distributes the powder over the surface of the dosing disc including the peripheral area and thereby aids in even dosing of the powder to the holes.
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Further, the dosing assembly (100) includes a shroud (30) enclosing a dosing disc (10), a distribution member provided to scrap and to prevent the loose powder escaping from the dosing disc, and a cover (40) having apertures for guiding the tamping pins. A delivery tube (not shown) is mounted off-centrally of the dosing disc (10) on the cover (40) for delivering the powder to the dosing disc (10) from the powder feeder (not shown).
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a capsule filling apparatus comprises a dosing assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention.
The dosing assembly of the present invention is fixed over the turret and arranged in such a way that the capsule body in the die of the rotating turret come exactly beneath the hole of the dosing disc to receive the mold of the powder.
The dosing assembly of the present invention can be mounted on the turret of the conventional capsule-filling machine. The dosing assembly of the present invention makes possible to fill the powder having poor or low flow properties. Further it reduces the loss of the powder at the end of the batch as well as wastages of the expensive formulation by spreading powder evenly over the dosing disc and improves the yield Further, the dosing assembly of the present invention allows filling of the multiple products in combination of powder in single
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capsules. Still further it gives an added advantage to fill formulation at slower speed, which is not possible to fill in such Tamping type Automatic capsules filling machines.
Dated this 10tn day of July, 2006.
FOR SCITECH CENTRE By By their Agent

(MANISH SAURASTRI) KRISHNA & SAURASTRI

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